The media is but a mirror

I watch or read the news for an hour every day and often feel indignant as I witness slanging matches peppered with violent and abusive language on different media platforms – almost inevitably on issues that do not impact the lives of the multitudes of my country. And I continue to hope that someday the media will debate the real issues that challenge India – hunger, poverty, homelessness and disease. These issues don’t challenge just a small percentage; they impact millions like Rameshiya and Dulari and their families…

For Rameshiya and Dulari (who live in a remote village in Chattisgarh)* and who I met a few years ago, while on a field trip, it was normal to wonder where their next meal was coming from. From the public distribution system (PDS), they got some amount of raw rice at highly subsidised rates. And as long as this rice lasted, they ate. But they ate just rice, morning, noon and night. If they were lucky they got to eat some vegetables from their backyard a few times a week and some dal (lentils) about twice a MONTH.

As I sat with Rameshiya who looked way older than her (estimated) 45 years and asked her what she and her family ate everyday, she looked away and I instinctively sensed that pride prevented her from telling me. Her son (19), told me that they ate rice. I urged him to go on. He repeated that they ate rice. On prompting again, he said that’s all they ate and if they were lucky, they ate a little chutney with that. And then he went on to say that they didn’t have a choice of how much they wanted to eat. They had to share whatever there was, regardless of whether each portion was a mere handful.

Both families had members who were suffering from TB and were being treated. It was debatable whether they would complete their treatment considering that they were hungry more often than not and might not have been able to withstand the side-effects. They would then be branded ‘defaulters’ who were on the rampage spreading DR – TB in the country.

All this, while our politicians, with alarming frequency and lack of responsibility flaunt non-issues, polarize the country on religious lines, and insidiously get communities to focus on the wrong issues. It’s enough now! Let’s get back on track. There’s proof that poverty and under-nutrition are unchecked issues and need urgent attention; there’s proof that without addressing these, progress is unattainable. We can’t afford delays – here’s the proof as beautifully captured by Chapal Mehra:

Let’s move away from green and saffron and cows and other trivia and look at the real issues. The media is a mirror and cannot then help but reflect the debates and the commitment on the part of the powers that be. And let’s force ACTION!